Learning Bird Behavior: Advice From Cornell Lab of Ornithology
December 30, 2009
Article in: Birding
The following is advice from the eCornell course we took on “Courtship and Rivalry In Birds”. We thought it would be perfect for birders who want to really get into learning and observing bird behavior.
- Watch carefully; even small actions can carry big messages.
- Don’t be dazzled by the flash. Look past the most obvious actions for other clues to what is happening.
- Be aware of the difference between observation and inference. Separate what you actually saw from what you concluded or assumed.
- Try to figure out what category of behavior you are watching. Foraging? Social behavior? Nesting?
- Draw or describe the displays you see structurally. What postures, movements, sounds, and plumages are involved?
- Try to identify individuals. Which birds are doing what? Who is communicating with whom?
- Try to figure out age and sex of the birds involved.
- Keep an eye out for multiple pairings. Don’t assume one male for one female.
- Think about what kinds of information would answer a question at the level you are actually interested in. What information would support your inferences?
- Try to infer about function of displays based on form. What are the birds highlighting or minimizing?
- Consider how a behavior might be appropriate for the environment in which the bird lives. How might it improve the bird’s chances of surviving and producing young?
- Find out some background information on the species that interest you most. Who feeds the young? What do they eat? Who competes with whom for what? What kind of a mating system do they have?
- Figure out what time of year behaviors and displays happen in species you’re interested in. Ask yourself whether your conclusions would be appropriate or unusual for the time of year.
- Be skeptical of things that aren’t consistent with what you’re observing, even if they are published.
- Be skeptical of things you infer that aren’t consistent with what is published.
- If all else fails, take detailed, understandable notes on what, how many, when, where, who, and in what order!
Another session of the “Courtship and Rivalry in Birds” course begins January 6, 2010. We suggest you sign up!!
Birding Audio Tour for the 518-mile Great Lakes Seaway Trail Now Available
December 28, 2009
Article in: Birding
We reviewed Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail and now the Audio Tour CD is available. Here is the press release.
Sackets Harbor, NY – Wildlife biologist Kimberly Corwin and Adirondack Kids® co-author and television show host Gary Allen VanRiper are inviting birders to experience the Great Lakes Seaway Trail in their time, at their pace and in their style year-round. The pair narrate the 80-minute “Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail” Audio Tour CD produced by the non-profit Seaway Trail Foundation as a companion to the recently released “Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail” book authored by ornithologist Gerald A. “Gerry” Smith.
The Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byway Program, the New York State Department of Transportation and the Environmental Analysis Bureau, and the John Ben Snow Foundation provided funding to the Seaway Trail Foundation for the book and CD project.
All manner of migratory and resident raptors, songbirds, and waterfowl frequent the 518-mile freshwater shoreline travel route known that is one of America’s Byways and a National Recreation Trail. Birds fill the forests, fields, wetlands, parks and backyards along the big waters of the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania.
As travelers drive, bicycle, RV, boat, paddle or kayak, birders will hear Corwin and VanRiper speaking about the birds of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail and the only-found-here” natural areas that include such noted birding sites as the 1000 Islands, Derby Hill Bird Observatory along Lake Ontario, Braddock Bay, Niagara Gorge/Niagara Falls, and Presque Isle Bay.
Bird-theme Great Lakes Seaway Trail outdoor storyteller interpretive signs located at significant points along the byway share fascinating birding facts, legends, and lore and celebrate the byway region’s natural diversity. Wildlife artist Robert McNamara, illustrator/designer of the Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail field guide, designed the outdoor signs.
Learn more online at www.seawaytrailstore.com. The CD retails for $9.95.
Bird Photography Weekly #70
December 27, 2009
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Join in now on the 70th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!
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The Night Before Christmas
December 24, 2009
Article in: Updates
‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
Not a creature was sturring, not even a mouse;
The cat hat removed any stray rodents running the floors,
Because she followed the policy to keep cats indoors;
The birders were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of lifers flitted in their heads;
When out in the great oak a clatter did brew,
A Barred Owl calling “Who cooks for you?”;
I sprang from my bed and grabbed my bins,
Slipped on a bird book and bonked both my shins;
I felt the need for a pain reliever,
And nearly toppled over my sleeping Chesapeake Bay Retriever;
I made it to the window and looked at the feeding station,
And remembered all the year’s work for conservation;
I gazed at the moon-lit yard, which twinkled like glass,
Oh how great it looked with frozen prairie grass;
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
An early rising Cardinal chirping with no fear;
I grabbed my coat and was followed by my entourage,
Our two wild Dobermans out towards the garage;
The shadows of the old willow blocked the light of the moon,
Concealing the suet where woodpeckers would be soon;
Suddenly out of the darkness a figure did stand,
The friendliest person I’ve seen in the land;
He carried a camera, bins, bird guide, and gave me a smile,
And asked if he could talk to me for awhile;
He called out bird names with a bellow,
“Whooping Crane, Cerulean Warbler, and that ‘Lord God’ fellow;
All birds facing the danger of vanishing from Earth,
Unless people realize just what they’re worth;
Birders and nature-lovers must make a stand,
Educate the ill-informed to make sure to care for the land”;
He warned me to never quit fighting for birds,
Even if just through this blog with photos and words;
Without warning his mouth was drawn and he let out a pish,
And a Bald Eagle arrived still carrying a fish;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Let me know if we work together we have nothing to dread;
And then I heard him exclaim as he vanished from sight,
“Merry Christmas and good birding to all, and to all a good night!”
‘Lord God’ is a reference to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Originally written December 2006 by Eddie Callaway
2009 Rockford Christmas Bird Count Recap
December 23, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
2009 was the fifth consecutive year I’ve counted for the Rockford Christmas Bird Count. Birds were low in numbers but some of the highlights were pretty impressive. We still have two counts left to go this season including the second year of the Rock Cut Christmas Bird Count which we created last year.
The biggest highlight just because they are always so cool was the five Bald Eagles we spotted. The one pictured was the most impressive as it glided in along the river and posed before taking off again.
Another big highlight was a couple Northern Harriers. The photo didn’t turn out as well but this beauty floated gracefully and low over a field.
Walking was fairly slow going with the uneven and icy snow but we managed (like every year) to hike our booties off. There were numerous trees with snow damage, specifically at Sugar River Forest Preserve, a place we enjoy camping. Many of the pine trees had downed limbs from the heavy snow.
Lunch time was spent at a hunting lodge where the wonderfully friendly hunting club is always willing to open up to us birders and let us watch their feeders. These feeders are a constant explosion of Black-capped Chickadees, White and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers and more. We estimated around 35 chickadees competing for feeder space.
Black-capped Chickadee
We will update the count total after we get the numbers but our contribution was certainly adequate on a chilly, windy, low bird day.
Week 5 – eCornell Course – “Courtship and Rivalry in Birds”
December 23, 2009
Article in: Birding
We have recently enrolled in an eCornell course called “Courtship and Rivalry in Birds“. This is a 5-week course and here is a recap of the third module/week of this course. [View Week 1] [View Week 2] [View Week 3] [View Week 4]
The focus this week was cooperative-breeding among birds, specifically that of Florida Scrub-Jays, one of the most interesting birds in the U.S. Cooperative-breeding is rather rare among birds but has some great benefits. The young of a pair assists its parents to raise more young (siblings) which increases the overall number of successfully fledged birds. This breeding method is useful in the scrub-jay’s habitat since food is scarce and it would be harder for the young (helpers) to go out on their own right away and breed.
Over time, this strategy enables more birds to fledge and larger territories to be acquired which eventually leads to the helper birds carving out their own breeding “plot”.
Some other cooperative-breeding birds showcased were Pied Kingfisher, American Crow, Groove-billed Ani, Green Woodhoopoe, Acorn Woodpecker, and Superb Fairywren.
The strategy works for these birds in improving overall breeding success but it is somewhat confusing when compared to all the world’s birds. Why don’t all or most birds employ this strategy? What about birds that gladly associate at feeders or other areas of high amounts of food? How come some birds found in scarce habitats do NOT participate in cooperative-breeding?
A discussion finished up week 5 with other cooperative behaviors among birds (outside the nest).
After the final discussion we have completed the eCornell Course “Courtship and Rivalry Among Birds”.
Another session of the course begins January 6, 2010.
